Technomancer (Unspeakable Things: Book One)

long night. “What about your plan to camp out here until Robert returns?”
    “McKesson isn’t here. He’s never even called or questioned me since that first night. I think he’s following the watch. That means there is no way this spot will open up again soon. I’m wasting my time, while Robert is—someplace else. I’m haunted by the idea he’s screaming my name right now.”
    “What could you do, even if you had the watch? Even if you found the next connection point? Would you jump through into the unknown?”
    Jenna hesitated, biting her lip. “I would if you went with me.”
    I shook my head. “You haven’t seen these guys—if Robert is even in the same place. McKesson indicated there are several possible places that might connect with our world.”
    Defeated, Jenna studied her hands. I figured she was about to start crying. I’m a sucker for that, so I stood up and took a step toward the door. “I suppose I should go for now. I’ll call you.”
    “Don’t go,” she said.
    “I need to find a place to sleep.”
    She flashed her eyes at me, then looked down again. “Stay here.”
    I looked sidelong at the king-sized bed. It was inviting. There wasn’t a couch in the room, so I supposed she meant I could lie down there.
    “Um,” I said, “OK, I guess.”
    She nodded, not looking at me. She got up slowly and headed for the bathroom. “I’ll be out in a minute,” she said.
    I removed my coat and put the gun and phone on the nightstand. I stretched out on the bed and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I saw a few swirling half dreams. Ithought to myself that the gun battle had combined with the wine and really exhausted me.
    I felt a hand touch my cheek, and snapped awake.
    Jenna was there, kneeling on the bed beside me. She had nothing on but a gauzy, see-through nightgown. It was pink and made of sheer silk. When my eyes focused, they were drawn inexorably to her breasts, which filled out the nightie perfectly. My mouth and eyes opened wide.
    She smiled at me with trembling lips. A single tear wet her left eye. “Is this what you wanted?” she murmured.
    I realized immediately that there had been a gross misunderstanding. She had thought I needed convincing in order to help her find her husband. I was surprised and uncertain as to how to handle the situation—so I did it badly.
    “Hold on,” I said, scooting backward and lifting myself into a sitting position. “I didn’t mean—you’re a married woman, Jenna.”
    Her eyes searched mine in surprise. She quickly realized her mistake and crossed her arms over her breasts. She turned away, embarrassed.
    “I’m sorry,” she snapped. “It was a misunderstanding.”
    “No, no, no,” I said, giving my head a shake. I tried to wake my mind up, to get a coherent thought out of myself. I knew a bad moment like this could ruin everything with a girl. I frowned at myself for having such ideas. I reminded myself she was a desperate bride, not a pickup from a bar, and I didn’t know anything about her past relationships with men.
    I sighed and patted her knee clumsily. “All right,” I said. “I’ll give it a try.”
    Her eyes slid back to my face. “You’ll try to get the watch for me?”
    “Yeah,” I said, “or find Robert some other way. Why not?”
    She thanked me with a quiet kiss on the forehead. I heaved another sigh. How did I get into these things? I was a sucker, I thought. There wasn’t any other explanation.
    Jenna slid into the bed next to me and we turned out the lights. We lay there quietly without touching each other. The bed was big, but I could still sense her presence nearby in the darkness. I listened to her breathing until it became slow and even.
    I thought about the sexy, see-through nightie she was wearing. It must have been meant for Robert. That poor bastard was really missing out.
    Falling asleep again was hard to do, but I managed it eventually.

The next day, I treated Jenna to breakfast—even though it was early afternoon by then. In return, she treated me to a small shopping spree. I had very little in the way of personal possessions. She dragged me from store to store in the clothing level of the mall that adjoined the hotel lobby. I’d soon dressed myself in a random fashion. I chose a baseball cap that was essentially an advertisement for the Lucky Seven, a T-shirt with a cactus on it, and a pair of gray slacks.
    “That’s not going to work,” she said, eyeing me critically. “That’s